Author's Note: Based off this post /post/72106105000/headcannon-lily-found-out-about-her-parents
The common room was noisy, filled with students who didn't want to join the snowball fight raging outside. Lily was sat on a sofa next to Marlene, trying to concentrate on reading her book but failing.
"Why can't they just shut up?" Mary muttered, scratching out (yet again) her latest mistake in the Potions essay she was struggling to finish. It was due the next day and remembering the properties of the lovage plant was difficult when you had third years playing exploding snap and fifth years throwing a fanged frizbee around. Alice, who had had the first draft of her Herbology essay ripped to shreds by the fanged frizbee earlier, looked imploringly at Lily.
"You're Head Girl, can't you get them to be quiet?" Lily had already confiscated the frizbee but had returned it to the fifth years when their next method of entertainment turned out to be lobbing dung bombs at unsuspecting first years. The redhead sighed, setting her book down and standing up.
"I'll try. No promises though, they're cheekier than Black."
"No one's cheekier than Black." Marlene corrected and Lily grinned. Her friends watched as she started to approach the third years but in the end it wasn't necessary.
"Oi! Everyone shut up, the news is on!" A sixth year's voice rang above the others and it only took a moment for everyone to stop what they were doing. Lily returned to her seat as the radio crackled for a moment and then the announcer's voice burst into the common room.
"This is the news at 2 o'clock and speaking is Marticia Wainwright. The Ministry has started to distribute leaflets that they hope will help us be prepared if we face a Death Eater or any of the other atrocities You-Know-Who has under his command. The Minister himself released a statement late last night in reference to these leaflets; "Whilst the threat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is being contained and hasn't shown any signs of increasing, we felt it best that we release the leaflets to educate the wizard community in case of any unlikely threat they may face. After all, it is better to be safe than sorry!"" The reporter continued with the news story as Dorcas nudged Marlene.
"Bullshit."
"'Contained'. Pfft, Merlin's arse it's contained." Marlene responded with as much venom, her voice hushed.
"Shut up." Lily shushed them, listening to the woman as she spoke about what the leaflets contained. Just as she was wrapping up that story the common room door swung open and about twenty bodies piled in, rosy red, scattered with snow and obnoxiously loud. Sirius was laughing as he climbed into the common room, reenacting what he clearly thought was the best throw in the game. Peter and Remus were grinning, the latter shaking out his jumper and shuddering as a few clumps of snow fell to the floor. James was laughing too, continuing Sirius' reenactment by pretending to be whoever had been hit by the snowball.
"Shut up!" The sixth year who had turned on the radio shouted across the common room and a few of the group quietened down, returning to their year groups and flopping onto any available surface.
"If you don't shut up within ten seconds you all get detentions!" Lily wasn't angry but she was annoyed as she stood up and glared at those left in the group still chatting loudly, Marauders included.
"Even me sweetheart?" Sirius called back, earning himself a punch to the shoulder from James for the use of the word 'sweetheart' and a glare even more aggravated than before from the Head Girl.
"Especially you. The news is on. All of you shut up and sit down." The others had drifted off as Lily shouted, the threat of detentions causing them to abruptly close their mouths. The Marauders made their way over to the seventh year girls, Peter and Remus looking apologetic whilst James and Sirius continued to grin, albeit silently.
"Have you seen Frank?" Alice asked, knowing he had gone out to join the snowball fight.
"He went to the kitchens to get something for you." Peter offered as flopped down to the floor and stretched out. Alice smiled softly.
"Aright Evans?" Her boyfriend asked as he slid in between her and Marlene, slinging an arm over her shoulder. Lily glared at him.
"You're freezing. Go sit next to Remus."
"Nah. I'm relying on your hotness to get me warm in no time at all."
"Prongs, please stop flirting." Sirius groaned as he squashed himself next to Marlene, propping his feet up on Peter's stomach.
"For once I am agreeing with Sirius. No shut up, the lot of you." Remus intoned, leaning against the sofa Mary was sat on and taking his hat off. Snow clung to his hair despite the hat and it wasn't hard to guess which one of the Marauders had been worse off in the fight. Despite her reservations Lily snuggled into James body, the chill of the snow on him unnoticeable in comparison to how cold his lips were when they brushed against Lily's forehead.
Someone had turned the radio up and everyone listened in again.
"Darcy Greengrass has been been reported missing by her husband. She was last seen in Diagon Alley. If any one has any news on her whereabouts please contact us so we can take action, her family is missing her. Now we go to the muggle deaths." Lily was only half listening because James was sneaking his hand under her top and pressing his ice cold palm against her warm waist. Lily wanted to protest but didn't want to draw attention to them so instead tried to remove his hand using sheer force. It wasn't the touching she minded it was the fact that it was fucking freezing, the bastard. "And just two hours ago, a Mr and Mrs Evans were found dead in their homes by their daughter, who was luckily enough to escape the attack because she was out of the house. It has been reported that the Evans family have another daughter who is attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We will now have a moment of silence for the eight muggles who have lost their lives due to You-Know-Who." It was no longer James hand that was making her cold.
Lily was frozen, eyes locked on the radio. No. It can't be. No. No no no no no. It is. She could feel everyone's eyes looking at her, the people in the lower years not sure if the surname was a coincidence or not. Her friends knew. They had all met her parents at one time or another. Mr and Mrs Evans were dead. Suddenly Lily wasn't cold. The ground had disappeared from beneath her feet and she felt clammy. A burning heat that pulsed in her chest.
"No! It can't be them, it can't be. No they're not dead they're not they're not no." Her words ran together as her voice broke and her eyes filled with tears. Around her her friends were trying to talk to her. People were shouting.
"Turn the radio off! Fucking turn it off!"
"Lily, Lily, speak to us."
"Are you alright?"
"Merlin... someone get McGonagall!"
"Lily. Listen to me. You're alright. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. Look at me." She couldn't cry. She couldn't. James' voice sounded above the others and she looked at him, eyes meeting his, wanting to fall into the depths of hazel there and never resurface. Her body was shaking uncontrollably but she wasn't going to cry. In her head she was still screaming. No no no, it can't be them. It can't be they're not dead. They're still alive. No no no no no...
"She's in shock. Get everyone out. James, you've got to get everyone to go to their dorms."
"I'm not leaving her Moony. You do it." James held onto her, pulling her into his lap and trying to hide her from the view of prying eyes. Mary and Alice started to help Remus, herding the other students up the dormitory stairs and not listening to any protestations. Sirius and Marlene had gone to get McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey, bursting out of the portrait and turning to run in other directions as the Fat Lady yelled after them, wanting to find out what all the rush was about.
"James. They're not dead. They can't be. Listen to me. Tell me they're not dead." His heart was shattering as he looked at the only girl he had ever loved and saw her cracking. He wanted it to be true. He wanted to be able to tell her that the reporter was wrong and that her parents were still alive. But he couldn't lie to her.
"Lily, I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. You're alright." James repeated it like a mantra, pressing kisses to her forehead and holding her with all his might. As if he could keep her from breaking. Dorcas was trying to turn the radio off, hands shaking as she fiddled with the dials and again turned it to another station. Finally she pulled her wand out and silenced it, returning to James and Lily and ordering Peter to make the fire bigger.
The common room was empty save the seventh years and as McGonagall arrived with Madame Pomfrey, Marlene and Sirius sprinting in ahead of them, Lily started to cry. Curled up in James' arms, hating the radio and wishing the war was over. Wishing her parents were still alive and wishing that she could see them one more time. Wishing that she wasn't freezing cold again and shivering. Wishing she was dead instead of them.